Got my first Clown (question)

snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
that sounds more and more like a floating boat. do you feed it floating pellets?
if so, stop feeding it pellets. dip the flakes in water before you feed.
 
nc2tarheel

nc2tarheel

Member
what's a "floating boat"?
No I haven't fed it pellets, I fed it flakes (he spit em out) Then I fed him some frozen brime shrimp and he'll swim out to eat it and right back to the top he goes. BTW, ALWAYS at least PART of his body (usually the top fin part) is breaking the surface of the water. So he does float just about. What can i do to sink my fish???
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
by the way i don't think it's any of the three possible causes the article suggests.
i think it just swallows too much air when it feed.
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member

Originally posted by nc2tarheel
what's a "floating boat"?
No I haven't fed it pellets, I fed it flakes (he spit em out) Then I fed him some frozen brime shrimp and he'll swim out to eat it and right back to the top he goes. BTW, ALWAYS at least PART of his body (usually the top fin part) is breaking the surface of the water. So he does float just about. What can i do to sink my fish???

i missed the dorsal fin above water part. i thought you said it was floating on its side and one of the pelvic fins is out of the water.
can you take a picture of two?
if you can't, describe it using my picture as a reference.
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member

Originally posted by nc2tarheel
I've had the fish for only 3 days, should I just return it?
well that's entirely up to you.
how much do you like the little fella?
 
nc2tarheel

nc2tarheel

Member
^^i'm already attached to him cause i feel bad for him.
As for the pic, i just took my moms cam back yesterday so I can describe it. He/She sits in the corner of my 55g at about a 45 degree angle to the tank glass. He/she lays toward it's side. NOT ALL THE WAY but not straight up, at a 45 degree angle is my best guess. Thats why i say (is it the dorsal) fin is always breaking the surface of the water. (whatever the front fin is on his back). Hardly ever is he even that deep in the water as shown in your pic.
Thanks for all your help snail and the rest of you that have posted. I know it seems like this topic is drawn out but I'm just trying to help the lil fella.
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
my fish do swim deeper to fetch a piece of food they spot, but it's really not as deep as it seems. they mostly stay less than one inch from the surface. they break surface with their head when i lift the lid.
does he look healthy otherwise? is it active? does it eat well? any sign of parasite? does it leave stringy waste?
i think you should wet its food before you feed if you hven't done it already. and hope that it's just too much air and the gas comes out eventually.
 
nc2tarheel

nc2tarheel

Member
yea, i put the brime shrimp in water and then pour it in the tank. As for him being active? Nope, not really. He just sits in the corner. I'm wondering if he's lonely and stares at himself in the glass. Still debating whether or not I should go ahead and get another. I was going to do it probably tomorrow. Maybe wait til this guy is better or it may cheer him up :jumping: Oh yea, as for eating well. He eats a little bit but he will not go out of his way to the rest of the tank to get any food. Only the food that floats by him.. :confused:
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
clowns don't venture out of their safety zone too much. when they find a home, they seldom wander away more than 6-12" inches from it.
by active i mean does it do the clownfish thing even if it largely stays in the same corner
i don't think it could hurt getting another. the worst that could happen is that it kept staying in that corner.
 
dcbball

dcbball

Member
heyy...
my clown was doing the same exact thing until i told my friend about it and he said to put a solid colored cup into the bottom... i did this and now my clown is always on the bottom hosting his "cup"....
HTH
 
little

little

Member
It sounds to me that he is stressed out. So adding another fish right now may put him over the edge. Dont rush things it will not hellp. How old is your tank? Do you have a lot of live rock for him to swim around? Your shrimp will not clean a clow! You need a anemone for that. If you would like to hellp add an anemone. . . That would more then likely get him swiming around more.
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally posted by Little
Your shrimp will not clean a clow! You need a anemone for that. If you would like to hellp add an anemone. . . That would more then likely get him swiming around more.
That's a whole 'nother kettle of fish!
Anemonae are hard to keep. I'd say if the fish isn't doing well, the Anemone won't do better. If you want something natural for him to host, pick out some soft corals native to his region.
There's no reason why the cup trick couldn't work as a temporary measure to make him feel less stressed. Anything he finds sheltering will work as a temporary host. As I said before, some people report thier clowns "hosting" filters and powerheads.
 
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